


A Family's Beginning

by Aerilon452



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: A/U, F/M, Family, Love, Nick Fury is all seeing all knowing, Philinda - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:15:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22854568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aerilon452/pseuds/Aerilon452
Summary: Coulson and May get called into Fury's office with a new assignment -- protect and 0-8-4.
Relationships: Phil Coulson & Melinda May & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson/Melinda May, Philinda, Philindaisy - Relationship
Comments: 37
Kudos: 132





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Philindaisy fic and there will be time jumps as well as some changes to character's status. To start, Nick Fury is already Directory and he hasn't lost his eye... yet. Hope you all enjoy.

_“_ Agent Melinda May. Agent Phil Coulson. Director Fury will see you now.”

May and Coulson shared a glance before going into the Director’s office. They had just returned from Russia and hadn’t had time for a shower and a sandwich. They must have done something Fury didn’t like or why else call them in for a face to face for a scolding. Bravely, they went in.

Sitting at the desk, Fury scanned through the side by side personnel files of May and Coulson. He’d each worked with them separately. It was why he was selecting them for this mission – though, he sensed they might not agree. They had everything that this mission required.

“Sir…” Coulson said warily. 

“Have a seat you two,” Fury said without looking up at them.

Melinda sat and fought the urge to look at Phil. They had had a bit of a chat on their way back where she told him that she’d gone on a date with someone – a man named Andrew. She wasn’t eager for another one, really. Phil hadn’t said much which worried her. He was essentially a ‘Chatty Cathy’ when missions were over. He hadn’t even looked at her.

Phil was still trying to digest what Melinda had told him on the way back to base. She went on a date. Was he missing his chance to be with Melinda? They had a deal – as long as neither were attached to another person, they were free to have sex with each other. A sort of ‘no strings attached’ deal, but his heart was getting tangled up with strings. He had fallen in love with her and facing the possibility of losing her was scaring him. 

Fury waited as long as he dared. Looking at them with an authoritative stare, he said, “I know you two just came back from a mission, but I have another assignment for you.”

This time Phil and Melinda looked at each other.

“You two have everything I require – rapport, chemistry, and you’re already attracted to each other.” Fury saw the flash of shock cross their faces. He knew they were already fraternizing. Even though it wasn’t strictly against S.H.I.E.L.D protocol per se, it wasn’t encouraged either.

“Sir, I’m not sure what you’re getting at?” Phil asked calmly, albeit with a trace of nervousness to his tone.

“Save it, Coulson. You and May have been practicing anatomy on each other for nearly a year now,” Fury said sharply. May resolutely stared right at him, giving nothing away. “That interest in each other is why I picked you for this mission.” He picked up a picture and handed it to Coulson. “This 0-8-4 was extracted from a province in China after a massacre…”

“This is a baby,” Phil interrupted.

“… after two monsters tore apart the villagers and burned the village to the ground,” Fury continued.

“What’s so special about this child?” Melinda asked, taking the picture from Coulson. The little girl was asleep in the photo, looking peaceful, and completely unaware that death had touched her. She felt a twinge of emotion stir just looking at the little face.

“That’s just it, we don’t know, but that won’t stop us from protecting her,” Fury answered. He picked up two folders that outlined the parameters for the mission. Marriage. Adoption. Living life outside of S.H.I.E.L.D – at least on paper. Their identities as agents would be buried, restricted to Level 10 access. They would only be recalled under the gravest of circumstances. “The baby is still on route to a secure location where you’ll meet her, should you accept.” Fury knew the last part wasn’t really needed. He had a sense that they would accept.

**TWO MONTHS LATER:**

It was just before dawn. Melinda had Phil curled around her and he was still asleep. She lingered in bed staring at the picture of Skye that Fury had given them. That same baby girl was asleep in a crib at the foot of their bed. They were currently living in a cabin on the lake in Maine working out how to be a family. She set the picture on the nightstand and then rolled over to kiss Phil lightly. He would be awake soon enough and so would Skye. When she tried to pull away, his hold on her tightened.

“Stay…” Phil slurred still half asleep.

Melinda stroked his face, replying softly, “Someone has to make breakfast before the little one wakes up.” Of course, her idea of breakfast was tea – coffee for Phil – and toast. She had learned pretty quickly that Skye wouldn’t eat unless Phil was holding her.

“Stay…” Phil said again. He slid down, wrapping his arms around her hips and nuzzling his nose against the center of her chest. Blindly, his lips touched the swell of her right breast and then her left. Even though his brain was still fighting to sleep, his body was craving hers.

Little Skye issued a small morning cry to let her new parents know she was waking up.

Melinda kissed the top of Phil’s head and freed herself from his grasp. She got up, picked up her satin robe, and headed for the bedroom door. Before leaving, she stopped at the crib and stared down at Skye. The baby’s big brown eyes looked back at her and little arms stretched up, wanting to be picked up. Melinda leaned over and picked her up. “Good morning, sweetheart,” she said softly and in a loving tone. While Phil was still shaking the sleep out of his head, she walked over to the cabin’s large bedroom window and together she and little Skye looked out at the trees and the calm lake. There was tinge of red heralding the rising sun.

Phil rolled over to his back, taking in the sight of his ladies by the window. He hadn’t imagined this life for himself, not even when he and May had started sleeping together. Oddly enough, though, they fit together in a domestic setting. He watched Melinda holding Skye, swaying back and forth slowly, speaking to her softly in mandarin. They were going to raise Skye as best they could and with as much love as they could. It was easy to fall in love with her – with both of them. Phil glanced at the silver band on his left hand. They were married at S.H.I.E.L.D, she took his last name with a hyphen, and they were packed off to Maine to be a family. It was a dream come true for a company many like him.

Melinda hadn’t envisioned being a mother this soon in her life, not after finally getting into the field and putting her specialist training to good use, to partnering with Coulson on occasions, and traveling around the world. Though, as she held Skye, and thought of being with Phil, she found she liked this aspect of life away from S.H.I.E.L.D, and she wasn’t worried about when they would recall her either.

Phil got out of bed and slipped on his Captain America t-shirt. He went to kiss Melinda on the cheek and kiss Skye on top of her head. “I’ll make tea,” he said softly and left for the kitchen. The cabin – or camp as Mainer’s called it – was all one level with pine floors and walls that were whitewashed to make it feel brighter inside whether lights were on or the sun was streaming in through all the windows. A woodstove was set off in a corner that somehow heated the whole space. There was a full bathroom with a shower and clawfoot tub that boggled Phil’s mind. From the outside, the camp didn’t look big enough. A double vanity had come in handy to help them feel like a married couple. Separate space in the bathroom was very important. There was a full kitchen with electricity/running water. This cabin had been updated with S.H.I.E.L.D tech and security. There was still a monster after Skye.

Melinda continued to gently rock Skye in her arms as they watched the sun come up. It was beautiful to see the light through the trees and on the water. Today was going to be another warm day but she couldn’t shake this feeling that something was going to happen. Though, what could possibly happen on the lake during the late spring in Maine.

Out in the kitchen, Phil set the tea kettle on the stove and hit the button on the coffee maker, and bread was in the toaster. A bottle for Skye was cooling on the counter. He had moved to the fridge to get the jelly out when someone knocked at the front door. Phil grabbed his gun from its hiding spot and checked the security monitor. An older woman was on the porch. “May? Your mother is outside.” He remembered meeting Lian May once and it was by accident. Melinda had asked him to tag along on a personal errand and because he liked spending time with her, he agreed. What he didn’t know was that he was going to come face to face with her mother – a former CIA operative.

Those were four words Melinda hadn’t wanted to hear this morning. Not only had her mother found her, Lian May would find out that she was married and had a child. “Is it Monday?” Melinda asked, coming out of the bedroom with the baby in her arms. Little Skye was situated on May’s left hip, and her little fingers were curled into the left sleeve of the robe. Melinda cradled the baby’s bottom with her left arm while her right hand cupped the back of Skye’s head.

“No, honey, it’s Wednesday,” Phil answered putting his gun away.

“It feels like Monday,” Melinda joked lightly. She went to him, kissed him, and handed his Skye. It was better he held the baby so it might deter her mother from harming him in some way.

Phil eagerly took Skye in his arms and then picked up the bottle for her. “Here you go, sweetheart. Mommy’s going to get the door.”

Melinda smirked as she went to the door. She keyed in the code by the light switch that would disengage the reinforced locks that S.H.I.E.L.D had installed as part of the security measures to the cabin. The first words out of her mouth were, “How did you find this place?”

“I have my ways,” Lian stated with a shrug of her right shoulder. “You disappear without a trace in the middle of the night…” She took in the sight of her daughter – disheveled with sleep, in a half-closed robe over grey satin pants and a matching grey camisole. Then, she looked over Melinda’s shoulder, seeing a man holding a baby. “What’s going on here?”

“Mother, you remember Phil Coulson,” May said, stepping aside to let her mother enter, getting her off the porch. As much as she didn’t want this to happen so early in the morning, it was better to get this over with now, rather than waiting. “He’s my husband,” she said calmly.

It wasn’t often that Lian May found herself speechless. This was one of those times. “Married? You can’t be serious?”

“I am,” Melinda replied, her eyes on Phil and Skye. She went to him and placed her hand on Skye’s back. “And this is our little girl, Skye.” It was a gamble, but she figured her mother would believe that she and Phil had a daughter. It had been two years since they’d last seen each other. Her mother may appear retired on paper, but she knew that was a lie. Then, she added, “We left S.H.I.E.L.D to be together, to have Skye.”

Lian pinned her daughter with a speculative stare. She had this knack for knowing when someone was lying to her and it didn’t fail her now. In mandarin, she said, “ _Let that be the first and last lie you tell me._ ” She knew how to accept a lie and work with it. For whatever reason they claimed to have left S.H.I.E.L.D, Lian was going to accept that it was for a reason. “Now, I’ll watch my granddaughter while you two shower and dress.”

Phil placed Skye into Lian’s arms after Melinda had given him a small touch letting him know it was okay. He felt a little strange handing over his little girl to the mysterious mother of his wife. In the morning while May did her Tia-chi, he sat with Skye on the couch, feeding her and talking nonsense just to see if he could get May to crack a smile or laugh. It was their little morning ritual.

“Thank you, mother,” Melinda said. She glanced a Phil, telling him with a glance that they needed to talk.

Phil watched Lian holding Skye, hearing her speak softly in mandarin to his daughter. It had taken him no time at all to think of Skye as his child. She was so small, so vulnerable, and she had him wrapped tightly around her little finger. He caught one last look at them on the couch before May shut the bedroom door. “Is this a good idea?”

May shook her head, silently telling him not here, not so close to her mother. She took his hand and pulled him into the bathroom. Before she let him speak, she turned on the shower, letting the water heat up. Then she turned on the radio to muffle their voices further. “My mother is the CIA version of Nick Fury,” she said sharply. “She knows we’re lying about leaving S.H.I.E.L.D and I want to keep it that way.” With efficiency, she stripped out of her clothes and got into the shower.

Phil wasted no time in getting naked and joining his beautiful wife under the hot spray. This was still the best way for spies to share intel. He stood behind her, moving aside her wet hair, and kissed the side of her neck. “How do we convince her that we’ve left for good?”

Melinda turned to him, placing her hands on his chest. “We don’t. We focus on Skye, on building that strong bond of family. We show her we don’t care about her suspicions and just be the best parents we can be to that little girl.” She wanted to be a family with him, with their little girl. They were committed to this and to each other.

Phil angled his head, leaning down to take her lips, kissing her while they had this time alone. Even if he couldn’t sate his desire for her, he could help relieve some of the tension she had building up. His right hand slid down between her thighs.

Melinda sighed heavily and leaned her head back to let the water fall over her. The first touch of his finger had her stomach muscles tensing “Phil…” she moaned; her lips still close enough to his to kiss. He applied pressure to the little bundle of nerves, making her knees shake. “We don’t have time for this.”

“I have time to get you off,” Phil growled and then slid his index and middle finger inside her. She tightened on him at the same time she kissed him hard, moaning into his mouth. He pumped his fingers in and out, faster and faster until he could feel her inner muscles tightening on him. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she came. Phil held her close, letting her come down from the quick high.

“What about you?” Melinda asked, trying to calm her labored breathing. She felt the hardness of him pressing against her belly. That part of his anatomy was what she craved more than his fingers.

“Later…” Phil groaned. This was all he was willing to get away with given that her mother was in the next room. Water and radio could only muffle things for so long. They showered quickly, got out, dried off, and dressed in comfortable clothes. They’d been wearing suits so long they almost forgot what it was like to wear jeans and a t-shirt to start the day off with. Phil wore another one of his Captain America shirts.

May dressed in jeans, like her husband, and put on a black v-neck t-shirt. Soon enough, now that the sun was up, the cabin would be warm and would need the windows open. Before braving what waited in the living room, she pulled Phil close and kissed him passionately. It was also a promise that once they had some quiet time, they would finish what started in the shower.

Out in the living room, Lian glanced at the clock. Fifteen minutes had gone by since the pair had disappeared into the bedroom. Now the door was opening, and she was seeing a new side of her daughter. The mother. “This little one and I have become fast friends,” she said cheerfully as she crossed the room to hand Skye back to Melinda.

Melinda took her daughter in her arms. Little Skye cooed and curled her little fingers into the collar of her shirt. “How long are you going to be here for, mother?”

“I was just passing through to make sure you were all right,” Lian answered and eyed her supposedly new son-in-law. The man was thoroughly in love with her daughter, there was no denying that. Melinda was just as in love with him. So, maybe, her daughter would get a life out of the shadows. It was all Lian wanted.

“We’re going to be fine,” Melinda said with complete conviction. She kissed the side of Skye’s head lightly.

**TWO YEARS LATER:**

**HARTFORD CONNECTICUT**

The Coulson’s moved into a two-story house on a cul-de-sac with a toddler running around chattering about nonsense. They spent two years in Maine – longer than they intended due to concerns from Fury. The movers were gone, most of the boxes were unpacked, and the toddler Skye was crashed out on the new comfy couch with cartoons playing to lull her deeper into sleep as she cuddled her teddy bear.

Phil was in the kitchen, with Melinda on the counter, and he was standing between her parted knees, his hands on her hips. “How’s this for a new home?” he asked as he pulled her close to the edge.

“I like it,” Melinda answered honestly. She draped her arms over his shoulders, cupping the back of his head. In the last two years, Fury had only asked them to consult on a handful of cases that needed the eye of a man from operations and a specialist. It added to their cover as Private Security Consultants that work from home. She smirked moments before she kissed him. They had some ups and downs, but that was typical of any marriage. The important thing was they came through it. They had to for Skye.

“Are you happy?” Phil inquired after breaking the light kiss. For a while, there had been tension between them that talking and sex couldn’t fix. They were both missing what life as spies could offer them. Fury steered work their way when he could get away with it, and at the time, it hadn’t been enough. Then something happened. Skye had been playing, happy as a lark one morning, and then by that afternoon, she had gotten sick. They had both been terrified that something terrible was going to happen until a doctor in the E.R told them that she had a fever, but with over the counter medication and fluids, she would be all right.

“Yeah, I’m happy,” Melinda replied lightly. She was set to kiss her husband again when a little voice called out form the adjoining living room.

“ _Mommy!_ ”

Phil chuckled. “Guess that nap wasn’t as long as we’d hoped.” He stepped back letting her slide off the counter, so she could go and check on their daughter. He looked around the kitchen, deciding which boxes to start unpacking first. When laughter drew his attention to the living room, he opted to go and join the fun. Unpacking could wait. Time with his family, laughing and having fun was more important.

~*~*~*~*

The next day, it was slightly chilly when they took a walk down the main street of Hartford, Connecticut. Skye had been stubborn and wanted to walk holding each of her parent’s hands. Not soon after, though, she was already demanding to be picked up. So, Phil, did just that.

“Hon, I’m going to grab a paper from the corner stand,” Melinda said, patting her husband on the back.

“Okay, we’re going to go to the Vintage Café up the street. I hear they have some Captain America memorabilia,” Phil replied excitedly.

Melinda shook her head. “I’ll catch up.” She waved to Skye and then crossed a street to the newspaper stand. In the two years they’d been away from S.H.I.E.L.D, she’d learned to scan the headlines. If something caught her attention, she’d get the paper and let Phil look at it. While he’d been at college, he started to uncover the history of S.H.I.E.L.D. He had a knack for piecing together puzzles.

“Melinda?”

May turned towards the sound of her name. There, standing at the other end of the cart was a man she hadn’t thought about for two years. “Andrew? This is a surprise,” she said for lack of anything better to say.

“Yeah, for me too. What’s it been, almost three years?” Andrew was dumbfounded at having found Melinda May on a corner, reading the headlines, in Hartford, Connecticut. They had gone on one date, but he felt they had hit things off, and there had been hints at a second date. Then, she’d fallen off the face of the map; not out of the ordinary really, considering she worked for S.H.I.E.L.D.

“Just about,” Melinda agreed, nodding awkwardly. ‘ _Skye would be three in a few days_ ’ she thought to herself. The last time she had seen him, she was walking out of the restaurant after their date had ended because she got a call. Phil needed her help.

“What have you been up to?” Andrew asked. He hadn’t forgotten how little conversation she engaged in.

“Mommy!”

Melinda turned to see Phil and Skye. Her little girl had her arms outstretched, fingers curling and uncurling. To Phil, she asked, “I thought you were going to the diner?”

“She wanted you with us,” Phil answered. The squirming toddler was struggling to get to her mother.

Melinda held out her arms for Skye and while she was being hugged by tiny arms, she said to Phil, “This is Andrew Garner.”

Phil offered his hand to the other man. “I’m Phil Coulson, Melinda’s husband.” They both shook hands and he could see that Garner was a little shaken by the news. “What brings you to Connecticut?” Phil asked conversationally. “We just moved here to raise out little girl, Skye.”

“I was here visiting some college friends when I happened to notice Melinda by the newsstand,” Andrew replied. He felt oddly at ease with Coulson, even though he felt a little off balance. The last time he’d seen Melinda, she hadn’t mentioned that she was already with someone. It must be the ‘boy next door’ charm the man radiated that had him forgetting the shock he’d had a moment ago. “Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to see her again, let alone with a husband and baby in tow.”

“It’s crazy,” Phil agreed, laughing lightly, “but, life is like that.” Looking at the man now, he could see why May went on a date with him. He was kind, easy to talk to, and was very engaging.

Andrew smirked. He had to agree that life was crazy. Big brown eyes were watching him, and he looked right back at Skye. “Hi,” he said sweetly. She smiled at him before hiding her face against the side of Melinda’s neck. “She’s adorable.”

“That she is,” Melinda agreed. She ran her hand up and down Skye’s back as she said, “It was really nice seeing you, Andrew.”

“If you’re staying in town for a while, we’ll have to grab lunch,” Phil offered.

“Sounds great,” Andrew replied. He waved to Skye, who was peeking at him, and then to Melinda he said, “It was nice to see you again.” Then, he was off. 

When the man was far enough away, Phil muttered, “So, that was Andrew.” He slipped his arm around May’s waist, walking them back towards the diner.

“Yeah, Maria set me up on the date,” Melinda replied. She hadn’t told him that before.

“Hill did that?” Phil inquired, slightly shocked that she waited this long to tell him.

“I was going to tell you, but as soon as I mentioned Andrew, you started to pout on our way back from Russia. Then, Fury and Skye and Maine happened… It just didn’t seem important.”

“I was not pouting,” Phil argued, frowning playfully at May

“Yes, you were. Probably not because I had been on a date, but you were thinking about all the sex you weren’t going to get if I hit things off with Andrew,” Melinda teased, elbowing her husband in the side lightly.

“That’s not true!” Phil exclaimed, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk.

“Really?” May questioned, arching her left eyebrow at him.

“I was afraid that I was close to losing a wonderful woman that I’d fallen in love with,” Phil confessed. Barton had bet him that he would be in love with Melinda May even before they had sex. Looking at her now – his wife – he knew Barton had been right. “I love you Melinda May-Coulson,” he said, even though she knew it. Her smirk was answer enough. She loved him too.

*~*~*~**~

That night, Melinda stood by the window in their bedroom listening to Phil talk to Skye. She can’t help but smile as she heard all the little promises he made to their daughter. They were the same ones he made to her every night, helping her fall asleep in safety and security. Phil promised to love her, to protect her from harm, to always be there for her. ‘Goodnight, my sweet baby,’ she mouthed at the same time he said it. Whether it was she putting Skye to bed or Phil, those were the last words their daughter heard before closing her eyes.

Phil closed the door, leaving it ajar so they might hear if Skye started crying in the middle of the night. When he stood on the threshold of their bedroom, he took in the sight of his wife. Tonight, she wore a pair of his boxers that had little Captain America shields on them and a grey t-shirt that had the S.H.I.E.L.D eagle on the back. Phil walked over to her as quietly as he could manage and then slipped his arms around her waist, hands flat on her stomach. “She’s asleep…” he said moments before kissing a small spot behind her left ear.

Melinda angled her head to the side giving him better access to the side of her neck. Her hands reached back, resting over his jean clad backside. She always loved to look at him in a pair of jeans. Teasingly, she squeezed to let him know she wanted him. A moan escaped her when he slid his hands down under the band of the boxers, slipping between her thighs.

“I am going to make love to you,” Phil whispered and withdrew his hands. He turned her around, kissing her deeply while his hands crept under the hem of her t-shirt. Lightly, he caressed her sides before moving up her stomach to cup her breasts, feeling the press of her nipples against his palms.

May brought her hands up to cover his with the barrier of her shirt between their skin. Then, she lifted her arms up, waiting for him to strip the shirt from her body. The little smirk playing on his lips told her she was about to get everything she wanted. In the span of her next heartbeat, the shirt was being lifted up, and off. It fluttered to the floor, all but forgotten. His hands rested on her hips again, sliding down to grip the back of her thighs.

Phil kissed Melinda swiftly and picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. He carried her over to the bed, braced his left knee on the mattress, lowering her down to the slate grey sheets. His lips touched the underside of her chin, the pulse pounding just below her jaw, and down to the hollow of her throat. Phil pressed a lingering kiss to the valley between her breasts, delighting in the way she arched into him and gasped. He pulled back, letting her desire simmer while he stripped off his t-shirt.

Melinda shivered from the loss of his lips on her skin. He was kneeling between her thighs, looking sexy in just a pair of jeans. She reached for his belt, but he knocked her hands away, wagging his finger at her, scolding her silently. The look in his eyes told her to be patient. She rolled her eyes, dug the heel of her left foot into his backside. She tried to pull him down on top of her.

Phil smirked. He rested his hands on her knees, sliding them down until his fingers curled into the band of the boxers. Pulling them down far enough, he exposed the rise of her hip bones and the top of the pleasurable delta between her thighs. She lowered her legs from around his waist, sliding back towards the center of the bed. The boxers moved further down her legs.

The cool cotton touched May’s naked back. She watched as he dropped the garment to the floor. He didn’t give her time to comment on his state of dress. His lips touched the inside of her right knee, traveling up her thigh with small nips. Melinda moaned, pressing the back of her head into the mattress. She felt his hot breath whisper over her nether lips. A shiver ran up her body.

Phil gave her inner thigh one long, lingering kiss. He could smell her desire and it only heightened his own, but he was reigning himself in, focusing on her, on making love to her. Spreading her, he gave her a teasing lick. May moaned and dug the heel of her right foot against his back. He knew his way around her body, knew how to push her to the edge and hold her there. Swirling his tongue around her clit, he started ramping up her pleasure.

Melinda had always been quiet, even more so when it came to sex. Phil, adorable nerd that he was, knew how to make cry out in ecstasy. She bit her bottom lip, trying to keep her moans muffled while her husband used his mouth to make love to her. Even though he had a talented tongue, that wasn’t what she wanted. “Phil…” she gasped, “we might not have time.”

A few more seconds, a few more deep kisses and Phil would have Melinda where he wanted her. When he felt her body start to tense, signaling she was close, he pulled back licking her juices off his lips. He went to the nightstand where a box of condoms was stashed and picked up a foil wrapper. Lowering the zipper of his jeans, he freed his hard shaft from the denim confines. He ripped open the square and rolled the rubber down his throbbing length. Phil left his jeans on because he knew his wife loved the feel of the denim against her thighs.

Melinda could hardly calm her breathing, her body flooded with desire and craving to be sated by Phil. She felt the mattress shift, felt the heat radiating off his skin licked across hers, and his hands were on her again. Melinda pushed herself up, leaning back on her forearms, watching him move between her knees again. Where she thought he would cover her with his body, he gripped her hips, rolled, and had her astride him.

Phil held his breath when she wrapped her hand around him, positioning him at her entrance. He had one hand braced on the bed behind him and his other arm wrapped around her waist. She was snug and wet and felt as good as the time before. To tease him, she moved her hips in a slow undulating circle as she cupped the back of his head and kissed him. The moaned together and gave themselves over to the pleasure.

Melinda rode him hard and fast, conquering him in a way that only she could. She ground down on him, loving the way his jeans rubbed against her skin. “I love you in jeans,” she moaned moments before kissing him, plunging her tongue into his mouth.

“I… know…” Phil replied in between heated, ravenous kisses. He took advantage of her momentary distraction and took her to the bed beneath him. Then, to drive them over the edge, he thrust into her hitting that sweet spot inside her. One hard swift thrust had her muscles tightening on him, letting him know she was close, and he wasn’t far behind her.

Melinda very rarely liked to be on the bottom – it wasn’t who she was. Phil knew how to turn the tables on her. When he surged into her again, her body spilled over into ecstasy. She reached down to dig her fingers into his denim clad ass, keeping him inside her as he came. “Oh… God…” she moaned, feeling her body quiver. She could barely turn her head and kiss his brow.

Phil could only bury his face in the crook of her neck as he fought to breathe regularly. He felt his heart thundering his chest and his body going limp. If he didn’t move, then he was liable to fall asleep right where he was; still buried deep inside his wife. Somehow, he would have to find the strength to move, even though the thought seemed terrible to him. He liked it where he was.

TBC....


	2. Chapter 2

**FIVE YEARS LATER:**

Five years in Hartford, Connecticut, and the Coulson’s were just like every other family in the neighborhood. Well – almost. Skye was eight years old, doing well in school, and starting to get interested in computers. She knew her parents weren’t like her friend’s parents. Her mom was a ninja that was teaching her how to defend herself, and in the morning, they did Tia Chi together. Her dad was a strategist, a nerd, and a mechanic with a vintage car he called ‘Lola’. She loved them. Already Skye Coulson knew three languages – Chinese, Italian, Spanish. She also knew that if she couldn’t run away (which her dad told her to do as the first option) she knew how to quickly bring them to her knees.

Skye even knew how to avoid being seen by camera’s and by people if she wished. She could blend in with a crowd, observe what was going on, and not even stick out. At least, she thought she could. She was still practicing, and a school playground wasn’t the best place to practice.

Skye was in the living room, the tv on, while she was fiddling with a laptop that was supposedly busted. Her mom and dad were downstairs in the gym working out. There was a knock at the front door. Seeing no harm in it, she went to the door and opened it. A tall woman in a black suit and white shirt stood on the other side. “Who are you?” Skye asked pointedly.

“I’m Maria Hill, a friend of your parents. Are they home?” Maria asked. If she hadn’t been told by Fury that Phil and Melinda were just adopting the girl, she would think they actually had a child. Her face was a closed off as May’s, but her eyes were like Phil’s – assessing every angle and looking for the truth.

“Mom! Dad!” Skye shouted but stayed where she was by the door. Her instincts told her this woman was on the level and didn’t mean her any harm.

Maria found herself in a bizarre staring contest with an eight-year-old child. May’s influence – again. Movement caught her attention. She looked up to see May and Coulson, sweaty and wearing sparring gloves. “It’s been a long time,” Maria said cheerfully but with an edge of business to her tone.

May addressed her daughter first. “Skye, what have we told you about answering the door by yourself?”

Skye turned to her mom looking rather sheepish and answered, “Let the person stand on the other side while I go and get you or dad.”

“That’s right,” Phil said, “but we can let it go this one time, seeing as an old friend was on the other side.”

“Fury sent me,” Maria said, arching her right eyebrow.

“Who’s Fury?” Skye asked.

“Skye get your computer and go to your room,” May ordered in her bed mom voice.

“But… mom…” Skye wined slightly.

“You have reading to finish,” May stated, pointing to the stairs. Her daughter did as she was told and headed for the stairs.

“We’ll go into the office,” Phil stated. He waved Maria inside and then shut the door, turning the deadbolt.

In the home office Melinda and Phil shared, they shut that door and engaged the S.H.I.E.L.D noise canceling system that had been installed by their agency. While the family had been on a vacation to Arizona seeing William May, techs from S.H.I.E.L.D spent the week modifying the house with better security measures and installed a direct line to Fury. They checked in monthly to report about Skye and if they noticed anything out of the ordinary.

“Is this about Skye?” May asked not wasting time.

“Not entirely,” Maria replied candidly. “Lumley’s gone off the grid, burned his S.H.I.E.L.D credentials and vanished. The last message we got from him was panicked and full of fear. Something killed his partner.” She opened her briefcase and handed a file to Coulson. “Everything we have on him is in there. Thought you’d want to take a look.” Then, she was pulling out another file and it was for May. “Fury’s recalling you for a mission to Hong Kong with Barton and Romanov.” A year ago, Nick Fury had revealed that Coulson and May were level seven agents buried deep within S.H.I.E.L.D and on assignment from him personally. However, it wasn’t always going to be that was because the world was getting to be a pretty dangerous place.

“When?” May asked. She flipped open the file and saw they were to track an arms dealer to a sale, bag and tag the weapon if they could and eliminate the buyers. The mission for three specialists.

“Tomorrow evening outside of New York where we have an airbase,” Maria replied. “Barton and Romanov will be waiting for you and there you’ll get the rest of the debrief.”

“Got it,” May responded in a clipped tone.

“Anything else?” Phil asked as he dropped the file on his desk. This was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, he knew it. May going on this mission was only the start. Pretty soon, Fury would be calling on him to come back into the fold. True enough, they never left, but they had Skye to think about. She was more than an 0-8-4 to them. She was there daughter.

“Not now,” Maria replied calmly. Coulson was a smart man. He knew that things in the world were changing and S.H.I.E.L.D would need everyone in its ranks soon enough.

~*~*~*~*~

Phil lay in bed, on his stomach with a pillow under his chest. May sat astride his thighs with the folder open on his back, using him as a table. Their daughter was camped out on the floor of their bedroom watching a movie of her choice before bed. Tonight, Skye was watching Labyrinth and she was completely ignoring them. Phil and Melinda tuned it out. He was reading Lumley’s file. On the surface, he was a good agent with a history of getting the job done. What Phil saw, however, was someone who couldn’t stick to the plan, someone who improvised on the fly, and did things alone. It would take more information for him to come up with a better profile of the man. For now, he closed the manila folder, and turned his attention to the movie. The scene Skye was watching involved some lunatics removing random body parts while singing a snappy tune. Skye was enthralled with it.

May flipped through the pages that outlined the mission she would be going on with Natasha Romanov and Clint Barton – the dynamic duo. The plan had come right from the mind of Victoria Hand. She was based at the HUB and was responsible for running the back end of many missions. Melinda wasn’t worried about the mission. She was worried about everything that could go wrong when variables change. That’s when people got hurt. Before Skye, she would have gone in, listen to the debrief, gotten her gear and headed out to do the job. Now that she was a mother, she had to know what could go wrong, plan for it, and have an exit strategy just in case. After Skye went to bed, she’d get Phil to give the plan the once over. She trusted his word. Closing her folder, she set it on top of his, and then stretched out along his back.

Phil turned his face into the pillow, moaning as quietly as possible while Melinda stretched out along his back. She was a delicious weight against him. When she was settled down, he asked, “Everything meet your approval?”

“Mmm? It will after you look at it,” Melinda answered, placing a kiss to the outside of his ear.

“Isn’t your mission classified?” Phil asked with a little humor in his voice.

“To others, yeah,” Melinda replied. Then, it was her turn to ask, “What is she watching?”

“I stopped paying attention, honestly,” Phil whispered, shrugging. All he knew was the move was made by Jim Henson and starred David Bowie. Skye had chosen it and that was good enough for him.

Forty-five minutes later, the movie was over, and Skye was sound asleep. Melinda gathered up the pillows and blankets while Phil picked their little girl up and carried her to her room. Together, they tucked her in and put her favorite teddy bear next to her. Then, they each gave her a little kiss to her forehead before leaving her to sleep the night away.

“Are you concerned about the mission?” Phil asked once the door was shut.

“You tell me,” Melinda said, handing over the file. Once he looked at it, then she would make up her mind about the op.

Phil took the folder, flipping through the pages, the wheels turning in his head. It was a solid plan with a few rough edges. The exit strategy and route were good, but problematic. He set the folder on the bed and then went to the closet where he had a box of maps. Digging through the dusty folded pieces of paper, he found one for Hong Kong. Going back to the bed, he spread it out and used his finger to map the evac route Hand had already figured out.

Melinda read the micro-expressions on Phil’s face. “What’s wrong?” she asked. When he was in operations mode, he sometimes needed vocal prompting to get him to share with everyone else.

“The evac route Hand mapped out…” Phil trailed off, frowning.

May hated when he did that. “Phil, use your words. You’re better at it than I am,” she said, poking him in the side.

“This path leads you right through downtown Hong Kong, at night… It makes no sense to go this way,” Phil said. “When you’re out there be sure you’re the driver and take a route that leads through here, the warehouse district. It’ll get you to the docks faster where you can be picked up.”

“Okay, now I’m not concerned anymore,” May replied. She left him by the bed to go and pack. Each article of clothing she folded and put in her bag felt heavy. This would be the first mission she would be on that would take her away from her husband and her daughter. How were they going to tell their daughter she was going away for nearly a week?

~*~*~*~*~

Morning found the Coulson’s in the kitchen. Skye was sitting at the center island eating her breakfast. She felt that something was going on. Her parents were unusually quiet. While she chewed on a piece of melon, she watched them. It was worrying her. “Mom? Dad?” Skye asked, pushing her breakfast away.

Melinda stopped what she was doing and looked at Phil. It was now or never. “Sweetie, we have something to tell you,” she said, looking at her daughter. “I have to go out of town for a little while.” That sentence was harder to say than anything.

“Why?” Skye asked, staring at her mother.

“That woman that was here,” Phil took over explaining, “is an old friend of ours, someone we worked with and now she needs mom’s help with a problem.”

“Can we go too, dad?” Skye asked hopefully.

“No, honey, this is a trip mom has to take alone.” Phil hated to say it, but they had to stay at home.

“Skye, dad and I are going to take you to school like a normal day, and tomorrow, when I can, I’ll call you so you can tell me all about your day,” Melinda added, reaching across the island to take her daughters hand.

“But I want to go with you,” Skye muttered.

“I know, baby,” Melinda said softly. It was already hard to leave. She went around the island and took her daughter in her arms, holding her close. May wouldn’t say she would do everything she could to come home, it would only scare her child. So, she kissed the top of Skye’s head and looked at her husband.

After that, the three of them packed into the SUV to take Skye to school. Reluctantly, the littlest Coulson climbed out of the back and trudged her way through the crowd of happy kids for another day of learning. Thankfully, it was Friday, and tomorrow Skye and Phil could have all day to miss Melinda.

May felt a hole in her chest watching her daughter walk into school knowing that she wouldn’t be home to hear about her day. She reached over and took Phil’s hand as he put the jeep in gear, pulling away from the curb. Melinda wasn’t going to tell him to let her report to the base by herself. He wouldn’t lose one single second with her until he had to. May was unsettled on the drive. It was too quiet. Fury was bringing them back into the fold slowly. Why?

Coulson drove and with each mile he felt a knot of dread settled in the pit of his stomach. By lunch they were at the airfield. It was strange being back with S.H.I.E.L.D agents. Before Melinda could get out, he hit the locks, keeping her inside with him for a little while longer. “I know I don’t have to say this, but, don’t die out there.” There was that dread again.

“I won’t,” May said. She turned in her seat, grabbed the front of his shirt, and hauled him close so she could kiss him. “I love you,” she whispered after breaking the kiss.

“I love you,” Phil replied. He hit the lock, letting her out. He knew no matter what that Melinda would come back to him. It was cheesy – and she would tell him so – but she was the love of his life. He would be damned if he would lose her.

~*~**~**~*~

The debrief was quick. Melinda, Natasha, and Clint were aboard the jet heading for Hong Kong. May stowed her gear, already missing Phil and Skye, but was careful to keep the longing for home off her face. She wasn’t Melinda May-Coulson – wife and mother. She was Melinda May, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. No attachments. No loyalties other than to her agency.

Natasha hadn’t seen May in nearly ten years. The last she’d heard of her friend was that she was living life on the outside with potential golden boy, Phil Coulson. Guess all that sex went to Melinda’s head. “So, life with Phil Coulson, huh?”

May bit her bottom lip, smirked, and nodded. “I was wondering when you were going to get to this,” she said.

“How is it having sex with the same man for eight years?” Natasha asked, crossing her arms.

May felt a little tension ease away. “He may be a nerd, but damn if he doesn’t know how to use what he’s been given.” She thought back to all the time she and Phil had tumbled between the sheets, or on the edge of the desk, on the mats at home in the gym, on the hood of Lola. All of it made May quiver with need for her husband.

“That good?” Natasha inquired a little too eagerly.

“Yeah, and it doesn’t hurt that he looks good in a pair of jeans,” Melinda replied giving her a friend a saucy wink. It felt like the old days Melinda had been secretly missing yet not exactly longing for.

Fifteen hours later and the jet was touching down. The three-man team departed and headed to their primary location to gear up and rest.

Clint watched May, knowing she had to be missing her family. It was the same with him. Each time he walked out the front door, leaving Sarah to go on another mission, he missed her. From inside his jacket pocket, he pulled out an encrypted phone, handing it to May. “Call him,” Clint said.

May took the phone but didn’t immediately dial home. “I can’t,” she said.

“It’s not a ‘Run Silent’ op,” Clint replied. “Call Coulson and your daughter.” He knew as soon as he was finished getting their gear unpacked, he was going to call Sarah just so he could hear her voice.

Melinda looked at the phone again and gave in. She put some distance between her and Natasha and Clint as the two of them started talking and making fun of each other. May dialed her home phone number.

_Ringing… Ringing… Ringing…_

_“Hey you.”_

Melinda sighed happily.

_“I didn’t know it was going to be that kind of call.”_

“Hi,” Melinda finally said.

_“Everything okay?”_

“Yeah… Nat and Barton are being – well them. Oddly enough, I missed working with them. What are you doing?” May asked.

_“I’m stretched out on the couch with Skye. She’s been waiting for you to call. Sweetie, mommy is on the phone.”_

May listened to Phil shift and she heard little moans.

_“Mommy?”_

Melinda had to fight back the rise of tears when she heard Skye’s voice, so small, so sad. “Hi baby,” she said softly.

_“What took you so long?”_

“It was a long flight,” May replied, smiling slightly. Skye might sound sad but there was also that touch of anger at being left behind. That was S.H.I.E.L.D life – someone was always at home waiting. “How was school? Anything interesting happen?” she asked.

_“I don’t know…”_

Melinda could actually hear Skye’s shrug over the phone. “You had that math test. How do you think you did?” she tried again.

_“Okay… I guess…”_

“Skye, what’s the matter?” Melinda asked. She knew exactly what was wrong. She wasn’t there. She was on the other side of the world getting back into the spy game because Nick Fury thought it was a good idea.

_“I miss you…”_

“Oh, I miss you too, baby,” May replied and there were those tears again. “I’ll be home soon, okay. Now, you go to bed, and put daddy back on the phone.”

_“Hey, hon. She’s sadly trudging up the stairs to go to bed. I bet it’ll be an hour before she’s back in the living room to sleep on the couch. Its what we did last night. I slept in the chair and she camped on the sofa.”_

May knew what he was doing. He was distracting her from missing them. “Why did you sleep in the chair?” she asked leaning against the wall.

_“The bed’s too big without you. I have no one to cuddle with.”_

“How was she at school yesterday?” May asked letting the comment about cuddling fall to the wayside. She knew exactly what she was going to do as soon as she got home.

_“She faked being sick after lunch. The school nurse called me to come get her. I took her for a ride in Lola, trying to get her mind off of missing you. It didn’t work, but I tried. We came home, she went to play with her computer until dinner, and after I made sure she did all her homework as well as her make-up assignments. Neither of us slept very well though, so we camped out in the living room.”_

“This isn’t like all the times she’d spent with my mother at the house while we were away for a night by ourselves,” Melinda commented.

_“Yes, all those times we reserved a modest hotel room so we could have an entire night of unbridled passion. We definitely need another one of those nights. I think Skye is missing grandma.”_

May hid her smirk. “I’ll be home soon.” She ended the call, feeling better about being away from her family. Phil knew exactly what to say to her. She looked down at the phone, glad Clint had given it to her. Melinda gave herself a few minutes to feel everything and when those few minutes were over, she squared her shoulders and stepped back into being Agent May.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was 6:45am or so the glaring red digit numbers told Phil when he opened his eyes. Also, it was Monday. He groaned and rolled over instinctually reaching for Melinda, but she wasn’t there. She wasn’t even at home. At this very moment she could be in danger and he wasn’t there to help her. Sitting up, Phil shook his head, pushing all those thoughts down. He trusted that his wife was looking after herself and her team had her back.

Phil looked around his bedroom, hearing the house was eerily silent. He got up to go in search for Skye. The first place he checked was her room – naturally. And there was she was, curled up, hugging a stuffed turtle. “Sweetie are you okay?” he asked softly. Skye looked at him with her big brown eyes full of sadness and instantly his heart broke.

“I don’t feel good,” Skye muttered.

“You don’t, huh?” Phil moved from the door and sat beside his daughter on the bed. He touched the back of his hand to her forehead and didn’t feel that she had a temperature. “I don’t feel a fever.”

“It’s my stomach,” Skye mumbled and then hugged her turtle tighter.

“Oh,” Phil said thoughtfully. Then, leaning over, he whispered, “I’ll you in on a little secret. My stomach hurts too.”

Skye looked at him, surprised by his response. “It does?” she asked.

“It does because I miss mom too,” Phil told her. “I also know that she wouldn’t want us to sit around and miss her. She’d want us to get up and face the day. So, if you get dressed in fifteen minutes, we’ll grab breakfast from a drive thru and I’ll take you to school in style.” He saw a twinkle of excitement light his daughter’s eyes.

“You’ll take me to school in Lola?” Skye asked hopefully.

“I will,” Phil confirmed with a nod and smile.

“Okay!” Skye darted up and threw her arms around her dad, hugging him. Her upset stomach all but forgotten.

By lunch, Phil was sitting at his desk in the home office, going over a proposal for heightened security around a foreign dignitary when his phone rang. He was half expecting it to be the school, telling him Skye was “sick” again. “This is Mr. Coulson,” he answered, holding the phone to his ear.

_“How fast can you get me from the airport?”_

“May,” Phil sighed in relief. He stopped what he was doing and focused on the sound of her voice. “I’ll be there before you know it.”

_“Don’t keep me waiting, Coulson.”_

_TBC....._


	3. Chapter 3

At the airport, Melinda waited by the curb, watching each car as it came. She had her mission go bag strap settled on her shoulder. Inside, she had a gift for her daughter, and she couldn’t wait to get home. She couldn’t wait to get home and hug her little girl. Then, she heard the sound of a familiar car approaching. Looking up, she saw the cherry red Corvette her husband called, Lola.

Phil pulled up to the curb right in front of Melinda and asked, “Need a lift?” He looked his wife up and down, seeing her in a suit. She looked like she was a businesswoman coming back from a meeting.

Melinda smirked at him. She opened the passenger door and slid into her seat next to him. “I thought you’d be here sooner,” she teased as he pulled away from the curb, merging into the flow of airport traffic.

“Traffic was a bitch,” Phil replied with a laugh. He put on his aviator sunglasses and drove his wife home.

“Says the man with a flying car,” Melinda replied lightheartedly.

Phil held the wheel with his left hand and with his right, he slipped it between May’s thighs, giving her a hint of what was to come when they got home. Her fingers wrapped around his wrist, holding his hand in place. He hit the gas, used his turn signal, and wove in and out of traffic. When they were out of the city and on their way home, he slowed down to a legal speed. “I thought you’d be away a few more days. What happened?”

May shrugged. “Nat got impatient,” she replied glibly. Actually, the buyer and seller arrived earlier than expected – eager to do the deal. Whatever they were selling, they wanted to unload it as quickly as possible. May had taken position in the car as the getaway driver, Barton was posted up on the roof of a building to stop anyone who could come after them, and Romanov went in.

Phil chuckled. When Natasha Romanov got impatient, enemies ended up hurt, in the hospital or six feet under. “Well, whatever happened, I’m just glad you’re back safe,” he said happily. Then, he took his hand from between her thighs, grabbed her left hand, laced their fingers together, and while his eyes were still on the road, he leaned over and kissed the back of her hand.

~*~**~*~*~*

In the seldom used S.H.I.E.L.D office, Nick Fury read over the report submitted to him by his three top Specialists. All three accounts said the same thing: Mission Success. He never doubted it, of course. Then, he looked over the route that May had taken and it was a classic Coulson. It was all the confirmation that he needed to know that life as husband and wife hadn’t dulled their edge or loyalty to S.H.I.E.L.D. If anything, he gave them something to fight for – a life and a family.

~*~*~*~*~*~

At home, Phil parked Lola in the garage, grabbed May’s bag and carried it in through the side door that led to through the kitchen. He could feel the two holes being burned into his back just from Melinda staring at him. They had an hour, maybe an hour and a half before school was over for the day. Setting her bag on the center island, he turned and pulled her against him. His lips took hers, kissing her deeply. Blindly, he guided her through the short hallway, towards the stairs.

Melinda kicked off her shoes and shed her jacket. Lack of oxygen was making it a little troublesome to unbutton her shirt. Breaking the kiss, she breathed raggedly. Her hands didn’t return to her shirt, they attacked his. Even though she fumbled with the top two buttons, she managed to get the fabric apart and pull the hem of his shirt out from his pants. Next came his belt. She yanked it loose and tossed it away from them. It clattered on the hard wood floor.

Phil toed off his shoes before Melinda could get his pants open. It had been a while since he’d felt the full force of his desire for her. He had to have her in his arms. The fabric of his shirt slid down his arms and fell to the floor. May stopped trying to open the front of his pants and instead took her shirt off. Once she was free of the soft cotton fabric, he backed her up against the wall, the stairs just behind them. They weren’t going to make it to bed. He opened the closure of her dress pants and pushed them down her legs.

Melinda had enough time to lower Phil’s zipper and pull the hard length of him free from the confines of the denim before he lifted her, pinning her to the wall. Her left arm draped her left arm across his shoulders and her right hand wrapped around one of the spindles on the staircase railing. There was no foreplay, no drawn-out kisses. She shifted as he moved her underwear aside and took him inside her. This was home – his body locked in hers, her hands on her hips.

Phil had to take a moment to catch his breath. His body was acting as if he and Melinda hadn’t had sex for six months rather than four days. Four very long, drawn out days while she was on the other side of the world. He kissed the side of her neck, feeling the thundering of her pulse against his lips. They started to move, thrusting against each other, striving for a quick release.

Melinda thought of nothing else – almost nothing – but her and Phil together. He pumped inside her, harder and faster, carrying her over the edge. Her body seized, pleasure flooding every nerve. Phil ell back against the opposite wall and slid to the floor. The impact drove him impossibly deep. She tightened on him, the orgasm rolling right through her. Melinda angled her head to kiss him deeply, to let her cries fill his mouth. She was happy being with him again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

An hour later, they were showered, dressed, and Phil was handing over his keys to Lola to Melinda. “School’s about out,” he said with a smirk.

“You trust me to drive Lola?” May asked as she pocketed the keys.

“I do, but I also know that Skye will be overjoyed to see you waiting to pick her up from school,” Phil replied, going to stand in front of his wife. “She tried to convince me that she was sick and wanted to stay home this morning.”

“What’d you do?” Melinda asked as she took his left hand.

“I told her I felt sick too, because I missed you,” Phil said sweetly. He moved in close to steal a light kiss.

Melinda smiled warmly. Falling in love with Phil Coulson had been easy, she hadn’t realized that she’d been doing it. “I missed you too,” she responded lightly. Then the thought crossed her mind. When was Fury going to come for Phil?

“Don’t say it,” Phil said, reading the expression that crossed her face. “We knew it could happen and Fury did say that he would recall us when it suited him.” They were still Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and whispered, “For now, go get Skye.”

Melinda hugged him, kissed him, and then went to the garage.

~*~*~*~*~**~*~

The three o’clock bell rang and kids flooded the halls, running towards the front doors to catch their buses home or to go to their parents that came to get them. Skye Coulson trudged her way down the hall, her head down, her expression sad. The day seemed longer than normal because she missed her mom. Her dad had tried to distract her, but she could tell he was just as sad as she was. Today was the fourth day that her mom was gone, and she hadn’t been able to call.

Skye pushed the main door of her school open, walked down the cement steps, and headed to the section of curb where her dad habitually parked. A lash of red caught her attention and she looked up. There was Lola… and her mom. “MOM!” Skye exclaimed, running towards her mom’s open arms. The last few feet between them disappeared. She crashed into her mom.

Melinda wrapped her arms around Skye, kissing her daughter on the top of her head. “I missed you, baby,” she said happily. Hugging her daughter was one of the things she wanted while she was away.

Skye pulled back but kept her arms around her moms’ waist. “Dad didn’t say you were home,” she said with a little pout on her lips.

“I surprised him,” Melinda answered, giving her daughter a little wink. “Come on, let’s go home and you can tell me everything you did while I was away.” The day was coming that she and Phil would have to tell Skye about their lives as S.H.I.E.L.D Agents and it scared her. Melinda being gone for four days proved that. She and Phil would have to start planning for that day. The life of a spy had been dangerous enough when she was single and only sleeping with Phil. Now, he was her husband, and they had a child to consider.

Skye sat in the front passenger seat, clicking her seat belt into place. There was a small box on the console between her and her mom. She didn’t pick it up but stared at it intensely. “What’s this?”

Melinda put the key in the ignition but didn’t start Lola. Instead, she turned, and picked up the little gift box. “This is for you,” she said giving the gift to Skye.

Skye untied the twine ribbon and lifted the lid. Inside she saw a carved piece of jade resembling a dragon on a red braided thread necklace. She picked up the charm and held it in the palm of her hand. “Mom, this is so pretty,” she said and then slipped the cord over her head.

“I saw it while I was away, and I knew you’d like it. This dragon will bring you luck as long as you wear it,” Melinda replied lovingly.

“I’ll never take it off,” Skye promised.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The evening came and went with the Coulson family getting back to normal. Skye was happy and laughing as if she hadn’t spent nearly four days missing her mother. It was nearing nine pm when Phil had finished putting away the clean dishes. He set the home security system, locked the doors and windows, and then went upstairs. The hallway was dark except for a sliver of blue light slicing across the carpet through the open bedroom door. He walked in quietly to find his wife and daughter curled up at the foot of the bed. Skye was asleep, and so it seemed, Melinda was as well. Phil curled up behind May, pillowing his head on his left arm and stretched his right arm, resting it along her thigh.

Melinda groaned slightly, shifting back against Phil. “She conked out about a half hour ago,” she said quietly. “I didn’t want to move in case I woke her up.” When she had checked to make sure her daughter was deep asleep, she saw her little girl holding the carved piece of jade in her hand.

“Don’t worry about it,” Phil replied, nuzzling his nose against the back of her neck. “This reminds me when she was four years old and just started sleeping in her twin bed. She’d wake up in the middle of the night, crawl into our bed, and curl right up between us.” In the morning when they woke up, they would just stare at each other and smile until Skye woke up. Those were perfect mornings to him.

“We’re going to have to tell her about what we do,” Melinda whispered.

“Not today we don’t,” Phil replied. Pretty soon, he knew Skye would start asking questions about their ‘work’ and when that day came, he – they – would tell her the truth. Most of it, anyway. As far as he was concerned, Philip J. Coulson was the father of Skye, and that’s the way it was going to stay. Even though life had been calm with no hint of a monster trailing them, they were still charged with hiding her and keeping her safe.

“Phil…?” Melina wanted to roll over and look at him, but Skye was asleep, and she wouldn’t risk waking her daughter up.

“May, we’ll handle it,” Phil promised. He placed a light kiss to the back of her head. “Let’s just enjoy this.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After two weeks, things in the Coulson household finally got back to normal. Melinda and Skye were up at five am doing Tai-Chi while Phil had his first cup of coffee. Then, they ate breakfast and took Skye to school. Melinda and Phil would come home, work for a few hours before they had some minor chores around the house that needed to be attended to. Melinda did laundry while Phil went out grocery shopping. He got everything he needed and even stopped to chat with a few of his neighbors.

Tonight, Phil planned to have a cookout in the backyard. It was a beautiful spring day that would continue into the evening and the perfect night to spend as a family. So, he got burgers, hot dogs, buns, marsh mellows, graham crackers, and chocolate bars. They had a fire pit in the backyard that would be perfect for making s’mores tonight. When Phil got home, there was another SUV in the driveway. He almost pulled his gun, but he saw the standard S.H.I.E.L.D plates. Worry started to creep in. Had Fury come personally this time?

Best to face the music now. Phil gathered the grocery bags, he walked into the house to the sound of laughter. He heard May laughing – not as weird as it used to be when they went undercover. Then, he heard the voices that belonged to Natasha, Clint, and Sarah – Clint’s wife. “May?!” Phil called out, moving towards the kitchen. The sight that greeted him was familiar, reminding him of their time at the academy. Sarah was sitting on the bar stool, watching, listening to what was going on.

Melinda went to the entryway to help Phil with the grocery bags. Quietly, she said, “I didn’t know they were going to show up.” While she’d been in Hong Kong, she invited both of them to visit. Though, she thought they would’ve called first.

“It’s okay, it’s good to see them,” Phil replied. Then, a little louder he said with a little laugh, “Good thing I got enough food for everyone.” He went to the fridge and started putting away the burgers and hot dogs.

“Beer and burgers sound like the old days at the academy,” Natasha commented with a smirk. When they had weekends free from classes and training, they would go off into the woods and camp overnight and cook over an open fire. To others, it was seen as a team building exercise. To them, it was time away as friends.

“And s’mores for dessert,” Clint said, spying the chocolate peeking out of the plastic bag.

“Our daughter loves them,” May said as she unpacked the rest of the bags.

“Who doesn’t?” Natasha laughed.

“When do we get to meet the Little Coulson?” Clint asked and took a seat next to Sarah.

Phil glanced at the clock and answered, “One of us will go and get her in about an hour.”

“May showed us pictures of her, she’s beautiful,” Sarah said.

“She’s the light of our lives,” Phil said as he passed by May. He placed his hand on his wife’s shoulder, squeezing lightly instead of kissing her cheek. Phil knew Melinda didn’t like to be kissed in front of other agents. May surprised him by wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her lips to his cheek. The gesture told him that she wasn’t seeing herself as an agent. They were a family, spending time with friends.

“She’s an amazing little girl. She’ll get up to do Tai-Chi with me in the morning and on the weekend, she’ll spend time in the garage with Phil working on Lola. Then, she’ll spend hours fiddling with a computer, completely absorbed with learning how it works,” Melinda said her voice full of pride and love for her daughter.

“If she’s anything like the two of you, she’ll make a great agent one day,” Natasha commented before she took a sip of water.

Phil paused briefly and then said, “If going to the Academy is what she wants to do, we’d be proud. Right now, she thinks we’re work from home parents. She doesn’t know we’re S.H.I.E.L.D.”

“Hardly anyone knows you’re still with the agency,” Clint teased. “You two are buried deep. Fury’s doing no doubt.”

“We wanted a life,” Phil said convincingly, rubbing his hand up and down Melinda’s back. “We wanted Skye when we found out…” he trailed off. Even though they were with friends, everyone had to believe that Skye was their flesh and blood.

“We get our life, but Fury gets to recall us to active duty when he sees fit,” Melinda added. Before, when Fury had told them that, she hadn’t been really bothered by it. Now, they had Skye to consider.

Clint nodded. Eventually he was going to be in their position when he and Sarah started having children.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

An hour later Phil had gone to pick up Skye and they were heading towards the front door. “You’re going to get to meet some friends from mine and mom’s college days.”

“How come I’m only meeting them now?” Skye asked. She was the first to reach the door, but it was her dad that gripped the knob, opened it, and ushered her inside.

“Adults gets bogged down in business and making a life for themselves,” Phil explained and then shut the front door. He took Skye’s bookbag and set it on bench. Today, she got a free pass on homework. She took his hand before they got too close to the kitchen where everyone was still talking. Phil crouched down and asked, “What’s the matter?” Sometimes, Skye could be nervous around new people. “Honey, these are our friends, and they’re good people. In fact, mom was working with two of them when she was out of town last month.”

“Do you really like them?” Skye asked and glanced over her shoulder at the kitchen.

“I do and you’ll like them too, I promise,” Phil replied. He held up his left pinkie. When Skye needed a little extra reassurance, they make a pinkie swear promise.

In the kitchen, the chatter died away when Skye walked in. She didn’t say anything as she went over to her mom and hugged her tightly while hiding her face.

Melinda gave a small smile to everyone while she patted Skye on the back. “How was school?” she asked.

“Good. I got an A on my history test. In gym class I had the best time for the mile,” Skye answered quietly. She pulled away from her mom and then looked at the others who were watching her, waiting for her to talk to them. Walking around the island, she went to the kind brunette woman and held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Skye.”

“Hi,” Sarah replied, shaking the girl’s hand. “I’m Sarah and the man behind me is Clint, my husband.”

Skye took back her hand and asked, “How do you know my dad?”

“Through Clint,” Sarah responded lightly. “He and Natasha – the red head over next to your mom – went to school together.”

Skye looked at Natasha and then whispered to Sarah, “She seems mean.”

Sarah couldn’t resist the short burst of laughter that escaped her. “Oh, no, Natasha is really friendly.” Then, playfully she said, “I could tell you so many stories about Nat doing really funny things. Some of them even include your daddy.”

“Like what?” Skye asked eagerly, instantly liking Sarah.

“One-time Nat lost a bet to your daddy…”

“Because he cheated!” Natasha interrupted.

“I did not!” Phil denied.

“…where she had to wear a clown costume for a whole day,” Sarah answered despite being interrupted. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Natasha narrow her gaze and shake her head, shuddering.

“How is that funny?” Skye questioned sounding a lot like her mother. “Clowns aren’t funny….”

“Natasha wearing the clown costume wasn’t funny, everyone was afraid to laugh because she might beat them up, but what she did to your dad was pretty funny,” Sarah responded. “You want to tell her, Nat?”

“I pulled a classic Three Stooges. He got a banana cream pie to the face,” Natasha said proudly, smirking at Coulson.

Skye gave Natasha a blank stare as she stated, “That’s not funny. I did that to dad on my sixth birthday with my cake. He had blue icing all over his face.”

The adults in the kitchen broke out into a series of chuckles.

“She’s just like you, May,” Clint said, laughing.

Phil went over to Skye, wrapping his arms around her, kissing the top of her head. When Skye had turned six, her birthday party had been a mad house, but worth it. Skye had had so much fun that day even if a food fight had broken out.

Skye leaned her head back, looking up at. “Daddy, I like them,” she said softly.

“I do too, honey,” Phil replied.

After a while, they all went out to the backyard. Skye was laying in the hammock, reading. The adults sat around the fire pit on benches waiting until sunset to strike the match. “Life out in suburbia doesn’t seem so bad,” Natasha said. Across from her, May and Phil sat close together comfortably.

“It’s not,” Melinda responded. It wasn’t as quiet as everyone would think. She strived to be the best mom to Skye as she could be. Going to PTA meetings reminded Melinda what it was like at the Academy. Parents formed cliques and she didn’t fit into any of them – even with her undercover experience. Then there were the school functions parents volunteered for that kept them busy too.

“Skye keeps us pretty busy,” Phil added and looked over at his daughter, smiling lightly. The, he said to May, “I’m going to go get the food so we can start cooking.” Getting up, he motioned to Skye to come with him. “Come on, kiddo!”

Skye abandoned her book, bounding out of the hammock. “What’s for dinner?” she asked excitedly.

“Depends? Do you want a burger or a hot dog?” Phil asked, putting his hands on Skye’s shoulders to steer her into the kitchen through the patio doors.

“Hot dogs!” Skye exclaimed as the door closed.

Outside, Sarah said to May, “You definitely got a good one.”

“Yeah, I did,” Melinda acknowledged she turned around and watched the door.

Seconds later, the door opened, and out came Skye with her arms filled with condiments while Phil carried a platter of burgers and hot dogs ready to be cooked. The friends got up and started to get the cookout rolling.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was night and everyone was sitting around the crackling fire. Melinda was sitting close to Phil on his right side, her head on his shoulder. Skye had gone to bed under protest but soon relented under the stare of her mother. The five friends were silent while the fire crackled.

“Hey, Phil, you remember this?” Clint asked as he took out a CD player from his satchel. He hit play.

Music drowned out the crackling fire. Phil smiled, knowing the song that played as one Clint wrote when they were still at the academy.

“Every time I take a ride

I feel alive with nowhere to go

I’m the king of the road

You’re the queen of my throne

Riding high day and night

Satisfied wherever we roam

You’re the star of the show

You shimmer like gold,” Phil sang softly to Melinda. He kissed her cheek.

Melinda made a face but didn’t stop him from continuing. This time Clint joined in.

“Now baby let’s ride

We got nothing but time

You get all the reactions

You’re the main attraction

It’s no surprise

God, I like your style

You’re the perfect distraction

You’re the main attraction.”

Sarah, Natasha, and Melinda shared a look. Phil and Clint kept singing.

“Roaming through the city like the track of time

The freedom is mine

Riding the line

You know how I like it, yeah

Pedal to the medal, I’m your soldier

We can take it for miles

And let it all wild

Just how I like it.”

“Now baby let’s ride

We got nothing but time

You get all the reactions

You’re the main attraction

It’s no surprise

God, I like your style

You’re the perfect distraction

You’re the main attraction.”

Melinda hadn’t seen this side of Phil for a while. She had been with him as his wife and he was an amazing husband. He was an even better father. This side was of the nerd that she had first met at the academy. He and Clint had been friends first, then Melinda and Natasha had gravitated towards them. One of the weekends they had all been camping overnight, Phil and Clint had spent an evening singing the songs that Clint wrote.

The guys finished the song and the ladies clapped.

TBC....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song I use at the end of this chapter is called MAIN ATTRACTION by Jeremy Renner. I thought it'd be cool to use!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to apologize for holding on to this chapter for as long as I have. My brain has been occupied with other things, and I've only now been able to put the finishing touches on this! Enjoy!

8 YEARS LATER:

Skye was the typical teenager with parents that traveled for work. She went to school, had friends, went to parties, and did some things her parents wouldn’t approve of. Today was one of those days. Her father was out of town for work, her mother was home, and she was in the city for a school field trip to the Natural History Museum. At least that was what she told her mom.

Skye had slipped away from the museum tour group and made her way to the metro. Her destination was STARK TECHNOLOGIES. She had overheard her mom and dad talking about it and she wanted to see what it was all about. For months now she had been aware that something was off with her mom and her dad with all the trips they’d been taking. Especially when they’d gone to see grandpa and dad suddenly had to leave. When he came back, he had a few bruises and some superficial scrapes. 

Skye was on a fact-finding mission.

On the platform, Skye tugged down her knit cap and pulled the hood up on her jacket. She blended in with all the other people who lived in the city. Under the guise of reading a book, she studied a subway map, counting the stops she would need to take to get half-way to STARK TECHNOLOGIES. Then she would have to take a cab the rest of the way. At least she had money that had been intended for a new laptop but finding out what her dad was up to was more important.

The subway car stopped at the platform and the doors opened. Skye went with the flow of the crowd while she moved to the back of the car, sitting in a corner seat with her back pressed against the wall watching everyone around her. It was how her mother taught her to act in a new environment. She saw two men in suits, reading the paper. A bike messenger was playing with the strap of his cross-body satchel. There was a college student reading a book – Dracula.

Skye settled in for the ride. She pulled out a technical manual that had a guy on the front cover wearing an ugly pink shirt. At school, she started hanging around with a group of hackers. All of them had done a righteous hack – except her. She needed something good. Something she could get away with. The problem was, she didn’t know what that was going to be. If she got caught, the police were the least of her worries. Her mother scared her more than going to jail. Melinda Coulson had this look that would terrify even the most hardened criminals – it was the look of motherly disapproval. Skye shuddered just picturing that look. She settled into her seat for the ride.

Nearly two hours later, Skye was setting foot on the platform. She swiped her metro-card before pushing through the turnstile. Then, she jogged up the stairs to exit the station so she could hail a cab. The hustle of the city sidewalk threw her for a moment. She wasn’t used to all this commotion. Her hometown was slow compared to this. Skye got over her momentary shock and rushed to the curb when she saw a cab pull up, and a passenger get out. Slipping into the back seat before someone else could, she closed the door and said to the cabbie, “Take me to Stark Technologies, please.”

“Shouldn’t you be in school or something, kid?” the cabbie asked. 

“I’m meeting my dad there,” Skye answered. She held up fifty dollars and the man didn’t argue. The yellow cab pulled into the flow of traffic, weaving in and out through gaps in attempt to earn the money she had held up.

A little while later, Skye was paying what was owed before getting out of the back of the car. The front gates were opened to allow reporters inside. Removing her cap, she blended in with the crowd, letting it carry her into the building. She heard scattered conversations – all buzzing about the press conference Tony Stark was giving today. The world was talking about the vigilante – Iron Man. 

Once Skye was inside the building, she peeled off from the group she had used as cover and started poking around. It wouldn’t be hard to spot her dad. All she had to do was look for someone a bit dorky and out of place. She was nearly discouraged when he couldn’t find him. When she did another scan of the immediate vicinity, she caught sight of a suit, and she heard her last name. Drawn by the sound, she cut through the crowd. It was then she saw her dad in a G-Man suit, holding a badge, and talking to Pepper Potts. 

Skye actually felt her mouth fall open, gawking at her dad and how serious he looked. What she was seeing didn’t fit in her brain. Her dad was a Captain America nerd, memorabilia junkie, and vintage car lover. Seeing him all serious, in a dark grey suit, and with a badge was not the man that had raised her all these years. “DAD!” she shouted.

It took Phil Coulson a moment to realize that the voice that had shouted belonged to his daughter. Lowering his badge, he turned, and he indeed did see Skye standing a short distance away with her mouth agape. “Excuse me…” he said without looking back. “Skye Coulson, what do you think you are doing?” Phil used his best angry dad voice.

Skye shrank back not out of fear, but of guilt. Suddenly, she felt like she was six years old and she had put a dent in the hood of Lola. “I… uh… followed you…” she said not making eye contact with him. While she was lowering her gaze, she happened to see the badge he was holding. S.H.I.E.L.D. Immediately, her head snapped up and she shouted in surprise, “YOU’RE A S.H.I.E.L.D AGENT?!”

Phil had a moment to notice all the attention he and his daughter were getting. This was not how this day was supposed to go. He closed the distance between them and then said, “You, young lady, are in big trouble.”

“But… I!”

Phil held up his right index finger, his face stern. “We are going home, and you are going to tell your mother what you thought you were doing,” he said.

“Dad!” Skye exclaimed. She was moderately terrified now. 

“I don’t want to hear it,” Phil stated sharply. He started walking towards the exit with his daughter trailing after him.

“Can’t I just go back to the museum trip?” Skye grumbled.

“I’m going to have to say, ‘No’,” Phil replied in the same manner. This was the day he and Melinda had dreaded and foolishly hadn’t planned what to say. Mostly he hadn’t thought of what to say because he thought this day would never come. Now that it was here, he had to think of something.

Skye huffed and rolled her eyes. 

In the SUV, Phil turned the key over bringing the engine to life. Skye was in the front passenger seat, slouched down, scowling. If he thought raising a thirteen-year-old was bad, a pouting sixteen-year-old made him wish for those earlier days back. They already had a long drive ahead of them, rather than try to pry three words out of his daughter, Phil turned the radio on and listened to the news. The press conference Tony Stark was giving was airing. “I am Iron Man,” he announced to the world. 

~*~*~*~*~*

At home, Melinda took the kettle from the stove when she heard the SUV pull into the driveway. Minutes later, the front door opened, and she heard Phil come in as well as the footsteps that belonged to her daughter. “Skye?” she called out. 

“Dad is a S.H.I.E.L.D Agent!” Skye shouted, stomping her way up the steps towards her room.

Phil stayed by the newel post, his head hanging down. A few seconds later, the door slammed. “Yeah, had to see that coming,” he commented dryly. Then, he dared himself to look at his wife. He already knew the face she would be making – a blank mask. Her eyes, however, they would tell how she was feeling.

“What happened?” Melinda asked as she crossed her arms over her chest. 

“She followed me to Stark Technologies,” Phil said trying not to sound proud. He knew he should be disappointed that she ditched the school field trip to follow him, but she found her way through the hectic city by herself and that was brave of her.

Melinda nodded. “The day we’ve been avoiding is finally here,” she said with a sigh. 

“She’ll understand,” Phil responded softly. He closed the distance between him and his wife and placed his hands on her shoulders. “At the end of the day, she’s our daughter, nothing will change that.”

Melinda tried to find something to say but nothing came to mind. She wasn’t thinking like a S.H.I.E.L.D agent; she was thinking like a parent. Looking up the stairs, Melinda took Phil’s hand and lead him to the second floor. 

In her room, Skye had on headphones, listening to music. She was typing away on her laptop, furious about being lied to for her whole life by her mom and dad. It was hard to believe that her father was an agent of a shadowy government organization that covered up every incident that the people had a right to know about.

*Knock. Knock.*

“Go away!” Skye shouted. She turned around on the bed, putting her back to the door. A little voice inside her head shrieked not to sit like that, it was dangerous. She caught herself as she was about to turn back around on instinct.

“Skye…”

“Go away, dad!” Skye was upset and she didn’t want to talk about it right now. She wanted to sit and stew about it.

Outside the door, Melinda put her hand on the knob, intent on turning it, but before she could, Phil stopped her. “We can’t leave her in there to be angry without knowing everything,” she stated, giving him a look she hadn’t had to use for years – the practical Agent May glare.

Phil actually took his hand off of hers. He knew that look and he knew when she had it on her face, he would have better luck getting a brick wall to do what he wanted. 

Melinda turned the knob and opened the door. “Skye,” she said, poking her head in, “we need to talk.”

“I don’t want to talk,” Skye replied in a huff. 

“Too bad,” Melinda responded sternly. She walked around the bed to stand in front of her surly sixteen-year-old daughter. “You’re angry and we want to talk about it.” This was usually Phil’s area of expertise. He was the talker – not her. For Skye, though, she would do her level best to string as many words together as she could. 

“Dad lied… for years! How are you not angry?!” Skye shouted.

Melinda took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She sat down next to her daughter and asked, “Do you remember when you were eight and you and dad were here alone for four days while I was away on business?”

“Yeah…” Already, Skye didn’t like where this was going. Automatically, she reached for the jade dragon necklace she always wore. IT had been a gift from her mom after getting home from that four day business trip.

“I was away on a S.H.I.E.L.D sanctioned mission,” Melinda answered. She knew she was breaking about a half a dozen laws, but it was worth it to make her daughter understand. “You father and I went to the academy, graduated, and became field agents. After you were born, we decided that we would go on reserve active status…”

“You’re a part of S.H.I.E.L.D too?” Skye asked, this time her voice was calmer – which stunned her.

“Yes.” Melinda waited for the explosion of outrage, but it never came. She glanced back at Phil for a little guidance. He shrugged at her, as lost as she was. Teenagers were hard to decipher. “Skye, this would work better if you used your words,” she said to her daughter. It was a request that Phil had made of her more than once.

After long drawn out minutes, Skye turned to her mother and asked, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“We didn’t want you to worry,” Phil said. He took a step closer to the bed.

“But I could have handled it,” Skye argued. She thought she would be mad. Actually, she thought she would be a lot of things. Intrigued was not something she considered. 

“You are our daughter, it’s our job to worry about your safety, not the other way around,” Phil replied softly.

“What if I wanted to join S.H.I.E.L.D?” Skye asked. When neither of them answered she asked another question, this time looking right at her dad. “How did you join?”

Phil and May shared a look and resigned to the Pandora’s box that had been opened, he answered, “I was recruited out of college. Being a history buff, I sort of pieced together S.H.I.E.L.D activity through WWII and after. I was interested enough to stay with the Agency and go through the communications academy.” 

Skye turned to her mother an asked, “How did you join?” 

“I was recruited as well because grandma is a former spy herself,” Melinda replied. This conversation wasn’t going quite as she imagined. 

“Would I be recruited because of the two of you?” Skye asked excitedly. Suddenly thinking about a different path for her life to take. 

“Possibly,” Phil answered. He couldn’t take away the small glimmer of hope he saw in her eyes. If she wanted to go to the S.H.I.E.L.D academy, then he wouldn’t stop her. “If you’re truly serious about getting into S.H.I.E.L.D, you have to work harder than ever.”

Skye mulled this over. She found that she wanted to get into S.H.I.E.L.D. She wanted to be like her parents. Strong. Honorable. Loyal to a cause. “What do I have to do to get in?” Her parents shared a look.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

THREE YEARS LATER:

Phil Coulson was standing on the bridge of the helicarrier after having delivered Captain America safely. It was all he could do not to call Melinda and be a total fanboy over the phone to her. He looked at his watch, seeing how much time he had. Time was against him today. Fury was conferring with Maria Hill quietly and he hated to interrupt, but if he didn’t, then Melinda would read him the riot act if he turned up late. Walking calmly over to the Director, he cleared his throat. “Sir, may I ask a favor?” he inquired. 

“What can I do for you, Coulson?” Fury responded, turning so he might see his favorite agent with his one good eye.

“Today’s a big day for Skye, and…”

“There’s a quinjet leaving in five minutes,” Fury said, interrupting Coulson. Since being handed a mission nearly twenty years ago, Coulson and May had morphed into quite the little family with their daughter. Skye had grown into a formidable spy, just like her parents. Today she was being accepted into the S.H.I.E.L.D Academy. Or so she thought. In fact, she was being given a mission of her own. Since showing off her abilities as a hacker, Fury pegged her being the perfect person to infiltrate a hacktivist group called RISING TIDE.

“Thank you, sir,” Phil said and rushed off. He brushed passed Stark, who had some snarky quip for him, but he didn’t hear it. Lengthening his stride, he went through a door that him outside to the tarmac, and over to the quinjet. Walking up the ramp, he nodded to the pilot, and sat in one of the jump seats. The jet lifted off, heading for New York. From there, he would take a S.H.E.I.L.D SUV to the academy. Phil had this uncanny sense that he had changed the course of his life. 

ACADEMY:

Skye couldn’t believe she was finally at S.H.E.I.L.D Academy. It was the one thing she had worked towards since she’d been thirteen. Her parents hadn’t tried to talk her out of it. They supported her, guided her, and helped her to forge a path that led right to the front doors of the Operations Building. It was where her mother had been trained. Her father, on the other hand, had been immersed in the Communications Academy. As much as she loved her dad, Skye wanted to be like her mom. 

Melinda May-Coulson had had several proud moments as a parent, but this had to be top of the list. This little girl that she and Phil had claimed as their own was now a young woman on her way to becoming an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. She couldn’t be happier and more scared at the same time. This was what Skye wanted and Melinda respected that. 

“Where’s dad?” Skye asked, looking around. “He’d said he’d be here.” She was trying not to look like a newbie by searching the vicinity for her father. She was also trying not to feel disappointed that he was running late. This was the life of an agent and she would have to get used to it. 

“He’s on his way,” Melinda assured her daughter. Last she knew he was with Fury. The all seeing, all knowing Nick Fury wouldn’t keep Phil from this important moment. What had first started out as a mission had quickly become their life. Phil might be Fury’s right-hand man, but he was Melinda’s husband. There were times when family came first. Today was one of those times. 

Phil pull the SUV into the parking lot, killing the engine quickly. He yanked he keys out of the ignition and climbed out of the cab. Running up the wide concrete steps, he found his wife and daughter loitering outside the glass doors to the Operations Building. “Hey,” he called out, “sorry I’m late!”

“You’re here now,” Skye said, smiling broadly.

“I wouldn’t miss this for anything,” Phil replied happily.

“You nearly did,” Melinda commented under her breath. It earned her an apologetic look from her husband. He wouldn’t explain until they were alone. From the look on his face, things were fine, and he had no trouble getting away. 

Victoria Hand had been ordered by Fury to pull Skye Coulson for a special mission. One that required her to have no academy training whatsoever. The young woman couldn’t even have her name associated with S.H.I.E.L.D. It was up to her to get her read in on the details of the operation. This was all being kept from her parents. A twinge of regret flitted through Victoria as she nodded to Agent Coulson and Agent May. She couldn’t see them as being married. It was one thing that didn’t make sense to her. Both of them had been rising quickly through the ranks and then, like a switch being flipped, they dropped off the radar. Word on the gape vine was they were married and were raising a kid. “I’ll take it from here,” Victoria said in a professional tone. There were times when she was assigned to the academy to teach. As far as Coulson and May knew, that’s why she was here now. 

Skye looked back at her parents and they nodded at her. She didn’t hesitate to follow. Picking up her bookbag, she walked briskly to keep up with Victoria Hand. From what her dad had said, Hand planned major operations for S.H.I.E.L.D. If she was so important, why was she at the academy? Skye would puzzle that out later. For now, she would listen and learn, and try not to stick out. That last part wasn’t going so well for her. Everyone she walked by stared at her. ‘Oh, boy,’ she thought, ‘I’m not off to a good start.’

TBC....


End file.
